TACLOBAN CITY – To mark the culmination of the month-long observance of Flores de Mayo in the city, at least 9 barangay contingents participated in the Annual Grand Santacruzan of the city government on May 30.
The iconic Filipino tradition that commemorates the search of the Holy Cross by Reyna Elena and her son, Emperor Constantine was organized by the City Government under Mayor Cristina G. Romualdez to highlight the religious fervor and intimate devotion of Taclobanons to the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Holy Cross.
A procession of sagalas (beautiful maidens) and elaborately-decorated arches adorned with flowers and children donning angel costumes was the main attraction of the late afternoon event.
The highlight of the festivities was the crowning of the 2019 Reyna Elena and the announcement of the Best Barangay Contingent and other special awards at the Balyu-an Amphitheater. The winners received trophies, sash, and cash prizes.
Ayanna Angela Espino of Brgy. 35- Pampango was crowned Reyna Elena 2019 and received a cash prize of P 10,000.
First runner-up Donnelyn Kate Espadilla of Barangay 96 Calanipawan received P 8,000 and, while second runner-up Mary Rose Ricafort of Brgy. 31 Pampango got P 5,000.
The grand champion honors went to Barangay 37 Reclamation Area which received P 60,000 cash prize; 1st runner up was Brgy. 35- A Pampango which won P 40,000 and Brgy. 65 Paseo de Legaspi won 2nd runner up and got P 25,000 cash prize.
Third and fourth runners up were Barangay 43-B Quarry District and Brgy. 96 Calanipawan which got P20,000 and P15,000, respectively.
Consolation prizes of P 6,000 were given to the remaining barangays.
Special awardees were Brgy. 99 Mercyville Diit for most disciplined barangay, Brgy. 37 Reclamation Area for the Most Participated Barangay, the best arch award went to Brgy. 35-A Pampango Anibong and Brgy. 37 Reclamation Area for the Best Lantern Award. The special awardees each received cash prizes.
According to the City Tourism Operations Office (CTTOO), the holding of the grand Santacruzan, one of the major tourism event here in the city, is part of the efforts to keep the religious tradition ‘alive’ and relevant to the younger generation.(HENRY JAMES ROCA/CIO).

PALO,Leyte- The vegetable garden project established by Gary Mosquito proved to be helpful to the students enrolled at the public school in Barangay Cabarasan Daku, this town, after super typhoon ‘Yolanda’ leveled the town in November 8,2013.
“My advocacy program is called Project LIFE or ‘Lifelong Interventions Through a Finest Environment,’ an innovation in which I enhanced the implementation of the ‘Gulayan sa Paaralan’ program to sustainable organic vegetable production in school for malnutrition alleviation,” said Mosquito, 34.
Since 2014, Mosquito led in planting vegetables using organic farming for their 345 pupils at the Cabarasan Daku Elementary School, Palo II District.
“The harvest goes to a feeding program to alleviate malnutrition in school and improve academic and non-academic performance of children,” he said while thanking his fellow teachers in implementing the project.
The excess harvest are sold in the community with the proceeds going to special programs and projects of the school like reproduction of test materials, Christmas party of the pupils and school beautification, Mosquito said.
The project would free the students from the burden of finding money for their school projects and other expenses, he added, noting that the majority of their students are children of ordinary farmers.
Mosquito was selected as Visayas winner in the prestigious 2019 Bayaning Gurong Pilipino of the ABS-CBN Gawad Geny Lopez Jr. Bayaning Pilipino Awards at the ABS-CBN Station in Mandaue, Cebu City on June 1.
He was awarded “for setting aside personal interest, pursuing excellence in all endeavors, and dedicating his life in the service of fellow Filipinos.”
Accompanying him during the awarding ceremony was Dr. Melfe Sanchez, principal-in-charge/district supervisor of Palo II District in Leyte Division.
Mosquito, who has been teaching for 13 years already, recalled that the difficulties in finding a sustainable source of food and livelihood after Yolanda inspired him to launch the Project LIFE.
Seeing the success from the school-based vegetable garden project, Mosquito extended his advocacy to the community as their livelihood program, calling it “Gulayan ha Kabablayan Program.”
“I believe that solution to malnutrition should start at home,” Mosquito said.
“According to Mother Teresa, everyone can rise above their circumstances and achieve success if they are dedicated and passionate about what they do. The plaque that you received is an evidence of how great you are and portrays the best version of yourself as a public servant,” said Sanchez as she lauded the “selfless efforts” of Mosquito.
“You really made a difference in the lives of our fellow Filipinos,” she added.
Meanwhile, Mosquito thanked the support of Sanchez, his seven other fellow teachers at school, Leyte division officials, and local leaders for their full support.
The annual Gawad Geny Lopez Jr. Bayaning Pilipino Awards” is named after the late Don Eugenio “Geny” Lopez Jr., founder of ABS-CBN Corporation, the biggest television network in the country.
It is now on its 25th year. (RONALD O. REYES)

TACLOBAN CITY- For some residents of San Julian town in Eastern Samar, the vibrantly-colored 10 meters crosswalk is just an ordinary concrete passage way.
But not for members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community of the town.
The rainbow-colored crosswalk symbolizes what the members of the LGBT community of the sleepy town have been fighting for: equality and recognition as legitimate members of the populace of San Julian of more than 15,000 people.
On Saturday (June 1), San Julian became the first area in Eastern Visayas to have a ‘pride crosswalk,’ as the LGBT community calls it, with its unveiling.
It’s unveiling coincided with the observance of LGBT Pride Month which first started on June 27,1970, incidentally, sparked by a riot involving the gay community in New York City calling for recognition and equality among its members.
In San Julian, behind the Pride crosswalk are the 159-members of the San Julian Pride founded on December 23,2017.
Its founder, Roel Andag, a graduate of public administration at UP-Diliman, said that it was just fitting that their Pride crosswalk version is located in a busy street of the town where the seat of the municipal government is located.
“It’s symbolizes our call for equality and recognition. It is located along a national highway in between Barangays 4 and 5 where our municipal building is located,” the 42-year old Andag said in a Facebook interview.
And based on their Facebook account, the group said that the Pride crosswalk signifies their ‘oneness with the rest of the world in celebrating the Pride month.’
“That we are part of a bigger diverse community. It is our assertion of our LGBT+identity in our rural setting-that we will not be rendered invisible, we will see and will be seen.”
The group also said that the Pride crosswalk is a proof that the rest of the people of San Julian embraces and accepts them as members of the community.
“Our Pride crosswalk is our visual reminder that we have come a long way and we still have a long way to go,” the group said.
And true to form, their group does not ‘discriminate’ their own saying that members of their group came from all walks of life-professionals and non-professionals, students, out-of-work, and even farmers.
Andag said to discriminate who can become members of the group would go contrary to what they are fighting for-equality and recognition.
The 10-meter crosswalk was a group effort as they hired a painter to do the job for more than three hours Saturday night.
Andag said that they have to use blow-dryers so the paints could dry right away.
For this project, the group spent P3,000 from their group’s funds.
Once the work was completed, they all felt not only relieved but ‘happy and proud’ that they have now their own version of Pride crosswalk which could be seen in other parts of the country like in the cities of Quezon and Cebu.
They have planned to have their Pride crosswalk for the last three months and were just gratified that the provincial office of the Department of Public Works and Highways allowed them to have a section of the public street be painted with various and bright colors.
And they are also thankful that officials of the municipal government of San Julian are very supportive of their campaign, naming Mayor Dennis Estaron and the members of the town council which passed an ordinance of which the group is passionate about-the creation of a local AIDS council. The ordinance was passed last year.
Incidentally, one of the advocacies of the San Julian Pride Advocacy Group is on HIV-AIDS awareness campaign which they do by conducting lectures and distribution of condoms donated by the Department of Health (DOH).
HIV-AIDS commonly affects among members of the LGBT community.
In Eastern Visayas, there are more than 700 HIV-AIDS cases with 48 deaths as of this year, records from the DOH said.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)